A New Day. A New Direction.
At Engauge, brilliant minds from diverse communications disciplines come together in a uniquely structured environment, all sharing an eagerness to collaborate — for the sake of a brand’s success.
Adding Tremendous Focus.
Our goal is to deliver the fullest extent of today’s most vital marketing disciplines — brand communication, data-driven direct marketing, and digital interactive.
Ideas That Transform.
To succeed today, marketers must possess a pioneering spirit, along with an eagerness to embrace new thoughts, new technologies, and new notions. When you mix courage and expertise with an appetite for the unfamiliar, transformational ideas are born. And transformational ideas change minds, change brands, change cultures.
An Actionable Outcome.
Our mantra is remarkably simple: "Move someone." First, inspire passion, courage, and trust in those around us. Then, use it to create powerful brand connections that turn potential buyers into true believers. Only then does a brand develop meaningful, measurable relationships. And only from a place called Engauge.
Stan Rapp
Executive Chairman
Rick Milenthal
Chief Executive Officer
Bruce Eatroff
Partner, Halyard Capital
Jonathan Barnes
Principal, Halyard Capital
Robert Kamerschen
Former Chairman and CEO, ADVO Inc.
Nick Bandy
President, Engauge Communication
Jeff Hilimire
President, Engauge Digital
Janet Rubio
President, Engauge Direct
Stan Rapp/ Executive Chairman
Stan is a direct marketing icon who has twice served as Chairman/CEO of global advertising agencies with revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Rapp has been recognized by Advertising Age and the advertising Club of New York as one of the 101 individuals who shaped advertising in the 20th Century. He is co-founder and former CEO of Rapp Collins Worldwide, the largest marketing services company in America. While he was CEO of McCann Relationship Marketing (MRM) and served on the Board of McCann Erickson WorldGroup, the MRM direct marketing agency’s revenue increased sevenfold in five years. He is co-author of the bestselling book, MaxiMarketing, which first predicted the change from mass marketing to one-to-one marketing a generation ago. In his latest endeavor as Chairman of the newly established Engauge enterprise, he has joined with pacesetters from the communications, digital, and direct advertising world to create a much-needed 21st century agency model.
Rick Milenthal/ Chief Executive Officer
Rick is CEO of Engauge, one of the country’s leading independent marketing agencies. His 25-year career has been dedicated to uniting professionals in direct marketing, Web development, online/offline media planning, sales promotion, public relations, creative communication, and brand strategy in order to create powerful marketing programs for clients. Rick is also founder and investor of StreamRight, a worldwide interactive video platform. He manages DRTU, a direct response media joint venture between Engauge and entertainment marketer Razor and Tie. He is chairman of Worldwide Partners, Inc., the largest network of independent agencies in the world with 81 agencies in 42 countries.
Bruce Eatroff/ Partner, Halyard Capital
Bruce is a founding partner of Halyard Capital who has a broad spectrum of private equity investing experience across the media, communications, and business services industries including telecommunications, cable, publishing, broadcasting, marketing services, and IT services. He represents Halyard on the Boards of Education for Dynamics, Engauge, Impremedia, and Presidio Networks and previously sat on the Boards of Hanley Wood and TRANZACT. Bruce has been a featured speaker and panelist at more than 50 industry events and conferences. He has more than 20 years of Wall Street experience including senior positions at Goldman Sachs, UBS Securities, and CIBC World Markets.
Jonathan Barnes/ Principal, Halyard Capital
Jonathan represents Halyard on the Boards of Education for Dynamics and Engauge and previously served on the Board of TRANZACT, prior to Halyard's sale of that company. Before joining the Fund, Jonathan was an Analyst at Aragon Global Management, a long/short equity hedge fund affiliated with Tiger Management. Jonathan began his career in Morgan Stanley's Media Corporate Finance Group and subsequently worked at Consolidated Press Holdings, a Sydney, Australia-based private investment company. Jonathan received an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School and an A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University.
Robert Kamerschen/ Former Chairman and CEO, ADVO Inc.
Kam is a highly experienced change leader who has held senior executive positions with Chanel, Max Factor, and RKO/Six Flags Entertainment. He has managed marketing executive assignments for Dunkin’ Donuts, Revlon, and Scott Paper, and is the former Chairman and CEO of ADVO, Inc., a direct marketing services firm. He currently serves as Chairman of Survey Sampling International, a supplier of survey samples to the global market research industry. He is a director for three public companies: IMS Health Inc, MDC Partners, Inc., and R.H. Donnelley Corporation. He previously served on public company boards including Linens-N-Things, Inc., RadioShack Corporation, and Vertrue, Inc. He presently sits on Halyard Capital’s advisory board and several private equity-backed private company boards.
Nick Bandy/ President, Engauge Communication
“Leave conventional thinking behind” is the creed that has driven Nick for nearly 25 years. He creates the environment and provides the resources necessary to ensure that our associates are prepared to face the challenges of marketing in today’s digital world. He has worked with such brands as American Standard, Huntington Bank, McDonald’s, OhioHealth, Time Warner, and TruGreen Chemlawn.
Jeff Hilimire/ President, Engauge Digital
Jeff Hilimire serves as President of Engauge Digital, the digital marketing arm of the Engauge agency enterprise, which leverages knowledge in human behavior and research to guide marketing strategies. Hilimire leads the company with his passion for interactive marketing and experience built on a long track record of client successes. Since co-founding Spunlogic in 1998, the interactive marketing agency acquired by Engauge in 2008, Hilimire has seen it mature into an agency sought after by many leading brands, including Coca-Cola, the State of Georgia, and The Home Depot.
Janet Rubio/ President, Engauge Direct
Janet has more than two decades of experience in marketing and advertising. In addition to leading Dell’s direct marketing efforts, she built its first marketing database, program measurement system, and call forecasting model. She is co-author of Planting Flowers, Pulling Weeds, has taught direct marketing classes at the University of Texas in Austin, and has written numerous articles for direct marketing trade publications.
Nick Bandy
President
Mike Bednar
Chief Creative Officer
Bill Binstock
Vice Chairman
Gary Doughty
Chief Financial Officer
David Grzelak
Executive Director, Behavioral Brand Planning
Barb Scherer
Executive Director, Orlando
Marty Schwalbe
Chief Strategy Officer
Steve Swanson
Executive Director, Pittsburgh
Patti Ziegler
Executive Director, Columbus
Nick Bandy
President“Leave conventional thinking behind” is the creed that has driven Nick for nearly 25 years. He creates the environment and provides the resources necessary to ensure that our associates are prepared to face the challenges of marketing in today’s digital world. He has worked with such brands as American Standard, Huntington Bank, McDonald’s, OhioHealth, Time Warner, and TruGreen Chemlawn.
Mike Bednar
Chief Creative OfficerAs creative leader, Mike mentors, motivates, and inspires everyone at Engauge for the sake of great work. To him, it’s defined as work that not only stands up and demands attention, but creates a relevant, meaningful connection to target audiences. With more than 25 years of experience developing and directing campaigns that have won countless Effies, Cannes Lions, Mercury Radio Awards, Clios, and One Show Pencils, he understands what is required for a brand to succeed. And he’s done it for brands including: Airborne, Allen-Edmonds, Birds Eye, Corona, Donatos Pizza, Master Lock, Reddi-wip, Rexall Brands, Roche, Can-AM ATV, Ski-Doo, Time Warner, Wasau, WhiteWave Foods, World Kitchen brands, and ZonePerfect. His passion for connecting brands to target audiences has led the development of innovative marketing ideas like Sea-Doo Films, ESPN’s Ultimate Playground, and the ZonePerfect Bar live music performances at Sundance. With Engauge, he’s working to continually redefine branded communications and create endless conversations with consumers.
Bill Binstock
Vice ChairmanFor the past 30 years, Bill has brought together talented individuals from all disciplines to create successful campaigns for clients. He has helped generate extensive advertising and marketing programs for such clients as Airborne, Cadillac, Carpet One, Chloraseptic, Coca-Cola, Comet, Dad’s Pet Care, GNC, Heinz, Hoover, Sears Optical, and Subway. His strong leadership and keen strategic insights have earned him and his employees dozens of marketing and creative excellence awards.
Gary Doughty
Chief Financial OfficerFor more than 20 years, Gary has been an exceptional financial leader and has executed a strong financial vision. He has successfully led general accounting, accounts payable/receivable, and reporting initiatives, and has consistently utilized the most advanced tools available. His timely, accurate, and meaningful reports have significantly helped agency operations.
Gary has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants since September of 1980.
David Grzelak
Executive Director, Behavioral Brand PlanningDavid leads Engauge’s behavioral brand planning initiatives across all offices. Since his goal is to truly understand consumer behavior, he spends his time visiting consumers in their natural habitat where opinions are formed and decisions are made.
He has dedicated his career to combining cultural and theoretical thinking with sound marketing strategies to influence consumer behavior in the marketplace. He has conducted behavioral research studies and developed brand strategies for clients including 3M, Airborne, Campbell’s Soup, Daimler-Chrysler, Dell, EAS, Elmer’s, Ensure, Hallmark Cards, International Delight, Kraft, Nationwide Insurance, Pert Plus, Sears Optical, Splenda, Sure, Whirlpool, and ZonePerfect.
Barb Scherer
Executive Director, OrlandoWith more than 22 years in the industry, Barb leads the Florida team in providing research, planning, account management, creative, PR, media, and interactive services. She’s recognized as a leader in the Florida advertising community and has spent the past 11 years focusing on insights and brand strategy for such clients as Disney’s Wide World of Sports, Florida Citrus Sports, The Florida Lottery, FSN South, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, Kessler Hotels, Orlando Regional Healthcare, Orlando Sentinel, Sprint, Sun Sports, and Tijuana Flats.
Marty Schwalbe
Chief Strategy OfficerMarty marries learnings about the business, the brand, and the consumer to craft strategies that drive sustainable business success. With more than 20 years of experience across varied categories, he knows it’s not about building awareness – it’s about building mutually profitable customer relationships that last over time. He has worked with brands including Airborne, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Chloraseptic, Comet, Heinz, Hoover, Kroger, NAPA Auto Parts, Owens Corning, Sears Optical, Syniverse, Valvoline, Windex, and ZonePerfect.
Steve Swanson
Executive Director, PittsburghSteve’s motto is “more, better, faster.” With 26 years of industry experience, he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. His expertise spans such clients as Amtrak, AT&T, Bass Pro Shops, Best Buy, Exxon/Mobil, Hershey, Houlihan’s, Jack Daniel’s, Michelin, Pepsi, Southern Comfort, Sun Microsystems, Tyson Foods, and Volkswagen.
Patti Ziegler
Executive Director, ColumbusPatti sees her purpose at Engauge to connect marketers with their consumers. Her account leadership, direct marketing, and interactive roles have enabled her to create winning consumer engagement programs. Her 360-degree approach to marketing has produced dramatic results for such clients as American Electric Power, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bacardi Global Brands, Deutsche Bank, International Delight, The Jamaica Tourist Board, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, and ZonePerfect.
Jeff Hilimire
President
Ryan Tuttle
Chief Operating Officer
Raghu Kakarala
Vice President, Strategy
Shannon Delaney
Vice President, Client Services
Melissa Read, Ph.D.
Vice President, Research and Innovation
John Detwiler
President, StreamRight
Jeff Hilimire
PresidentJeff Hilimire serves as President of Engauge Digital, which leverages knowledge in human behavior and research to guide marketing strategies. Hilimire leads the company with his passion for interactive marketing and experience built on a long track record of client successes. Since co-founding Spunlogic in 1998, the interactive marketing agency acquired by Engauge in 2008, he has seen it mature into an agency sought after by many leading brands, including Coca-Cola, the State of Georgia, and The Home Depot.
Ryan Tuttle
Chief Operating OfficerRyan brings Engauge Digital 11 years of award-winning expertise in full lifecycle web development, programming, server technologies, interactive/graphic design, marketing and promotion. His extensive knowledge of email marketing and online promotions is invaluable in guiding the Engauge Digital operations.
One of Ryan’s most notable experiences is serving as an Interactive Marketing Manager at TBS Superstation, where he won several national awards and helped launch or extend online brands for projects such as Worst-Case Scenario, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Turner South, and many original and theatrical movies.
Raghu Kakarala
Vice President, StrategyRaghu’s entrepreneurial background was instrumental in the growth of Spunlogic, the agency acquired by Engauge, over the years. His background is well aligned with Engauge’s idea of maintaining the agency’s entrepreneurial spirit and fostering creative thinking.
Having worked in the business world for several years, Raghu has founded companies in such diverse areas as international credit reporting, e-business consulting, and homeland security. Raghu regularly speaks at industry events on the topic of emerging technologies.
Shannon Delaney
Vice President, Client ServicesShannon brings several years of experience in managing client relationships through projects including website redesigns, large-scale software development, and event promotions. Her extensive email knowledge has also garnered excellent results and profitability for the agency’s clients.
In her career, Shannon has worked with executives and marketing teams from such leading brands as CNN, Fox Sports South, ChoicePoint, XM Radio, ADP, The Home Depot, GameTap, and Coca-Cola.
Melissa Read, Ph.D.
Vice President, Research and InnovationDr. Read leverages human psychology, user experience research, and best practices in interaction design to explain, predict, and influence digital behavior. After spending several years serving as a college professor in academia, she transitioned into industry to bring her expertise to life in applied environments.
Dr. Read's unique approach has helped clients as varied as The Home Depot, Cingular (the New AT&T), IHG, General Motors, and the Centers for Disease Control. She has advised clients on topics as diverse as web- and application-based interfaces, robotic search and rescue, public transportation, kiosks, touch-screens, and mobile devices.
Dr. Read earned her doctorate in Psychology and is a former Assistant Professor of Human Factors Psychology.
Joe Koufman
Vice President, Business Development and MarketingJoe is responsible for attracting leading brands to Engauge Digital. Prior to Engauge, Joe spent eight years at KnowledgeStorm, recently acquired by TechTarget (NASDAQ: TTGT), as the Director of Strategic Accounts where he held sales responsibility for Oracle, Infor, Consona, CA, IFS, and Cognos. During his tenure at KnowledgeStorm, Joe held various roles including Senior Manager of Major Accounts and Manager of Business Intelligence.
Joe serves as Vice President of the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association.
John Detwiler
President, StreamRightFor the past ten years, John has held executive level positions in the online marketing sector. Throughout his career he has been dedicated to leveraging the latest in technology and bringing innovation to clients. As co-founder and CEO of StreamRight, he provided online video and viral marketing services to brands including Airborne, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Stōk, and ZonePerfect. Prior to StreamRight, John co-founded AdOutlet, one of the first online exchanges for media.
Janet Rubio
President
Judy Bitterli
Chief Global Development Officer
Mark Gonzales
Director of Analytic Services
George Conklin
Director of Contact Center Services
Mary Luschin
Creative Director
Janet Rubio
PresidentJanet has more than two decades of experience in marketing and advertising. In addition to leading Dell’s direct marketing efforts, she built its first marketing database, program measurement system, and call forecasting model. She is co-author of Planting Flowers, Pulling Weeds, has taught direct marketing classes at the University of Texas in Austin, and has written numerous articles for direct marketing trade publications.
Judy Bitterli
Chief Global Development OfficerFor the past 24 years, Judy has held executive level positions in the technology and direct marketing sectors. Throughout her career she has used her deep knowledge of sales, marketing, operations, and Internet strategies to achieve success for such clients as Adobe, Alcatel, Barnes & Noble, Bloomberg, CDW, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Sony, and Visa.
Matt Bryce
Director of Interactive and Technology ServicesMatt is our leader for all things IT. He manages the data, interactive, and infrastructure teams and interacts with vendors and clients on IT matters. He knows how to bring the benefits of technology to bear on business issues while managing costs and risks. He is an accomplished technology and business professional with strategic and tactical experience in automating small- to medium-sized enterprises. Matt provides strong leadership in problem-solving, planning, team-building, and project management.
Mark Gonzales
Director of Analytic ServicesMark has a background of 20 years in marketing, product marketing, and strategy development in companies, from startups to billions of dollars in size, and targeting consumers, small and medium businesses, and enterprises. With Direct Impact, Mark has worked with Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Logitech, and CDW as well as several smaller companies in high-tech, real estate, and non-profits. Mark holds an MBA from Harvard University, and BAs in Applied Mathematics and Management Science (theoretical economics) from the University of California, San Diego.
George Conklin
Director of Contact Center ServicesFor George, no challenge is too great. This makes him ideally suited to oversee the day-to-day complexities of our contact center. He ensures all of our processes, service delivery procedures, quality assurance measures, and personnel development efforts fully enable our contact center to identify and qualify leads, set appointments, conduct research, and offer sales and support services. His sales and information specialists average four years of experience and are experts in creating and maintaining a customer interaction that is collaborative in nature.
Mary Luschin
Creative DirectorMary oversees all of the creative work here at Engauge Direct. Her specialty is synthesizing ideas and concepts into persuasive messages that resonate with an audience on a human level. Mary strives to create ideas that not only demand attention, but also create a passion for, and a conviction in, our clients’ brands, products, and services. She has extensive experience in the high-technology sector, working for both hardware and software companies such as AMD, Compaq, Dell, Motorola, and Vignette.
